Othello post 2

One typical Shakespearean device seems to be ever present in Othello. The "asides" from each character, especially Iago, are numerous, and content wise tend towards the "knee slapper" joke or pun category. When Othello and Desdemona are finally reunited, they talk of their undying love for each other, and how even the universe could not tear them apart, or make them even happier, Iago responds with a terrible pun about the music of the heart. Iago whispers to the audience: "O, you are well tuned now, But I'll set down the pegs that make this music, honest as I am" (II, i, 218). His threat can basically be translated as "I'll get you my pretty".

However, another interesting line is in the discussion beforehand. Desdemona states that "The heavens forbid but that [their] loves and comforts should increase, even as [their] days do grow" (II, i, 210). This line has a double meaning. Read one way, it can mean that the universe cannot possibly make the couple any happier than they are now; They have all the happiness that is to be had in the world. The alternate interpretation is that the heavens forbid their love. Taken this way, the line provides a dark foreshadowing of possible future conflict regarding the couple's interracial status.